Lone Peak via Jacob's Ladder Trail (from Summer Trailhead)

Lone Peak via Jacob's Ladder Trail (from Summer Trailhead) is a 11.1 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Alpine, Utah that features beautiful wild flowers and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until September.

hiking

nature trips

bird watching

running

forest

views

wild flowers

wildlife

muddy

rocky

snow

no dogs

Climb to the top of this 11,000 foot Wasatch Peak which rises above Salt Lake City with a massive glacial cirque.
This is a fairly strenuous climb to the top of one of the tallest peaks of the Wasatch Range. Reaching the cliff-lined summit will require some scrambling up steep slopes and over boulders. Follow the track in this guide closely to find your way up a variation to the top that takes you up a steep coulouir. Bring a camera as you will have specatacular views.
Driving direction to the trail head: The way to the trailhead is through Orson Park and then up the dirt road (make sure your vehicle has good clearance).

Trailhead

Trailhead for the Jacobs Ladder Trail.

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Trail Intersection

Jacobs Ladder and Draper Ridge Trail Intersection.

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Outlaw Cabin

There is a side trail to the left that heads to the Outlaw Cabin. Instead head right up into the glacial cirque.

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Scrambling

From here you will need to find your way to the top. There is a steep headwall that can be climbed up to the left. This route is an adapted route that fellow users climbed up via a small couloir. Use your best judgement. Once you get up onto the summit ridge you will be scrambling over rocks to the top as the visible trail disappears. Be careful as there is a lot of exposure.

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Summit of Lone Peak

You are at the top of this beautiful mountain standing above a huge glacial cirque that faces the valley and the town of Sandy.

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Directions:
The trailhead 2.6 miles up the Corner Canyon Road off the town of Draper. The trailhead is at 5,700. Use the track to find the start of the trail from the parking lot.

Hiked Lone peak vía Jacobs Ladder on September 7, 2019. Maybe it is just me but I didn’t feel it was as extreme as a lot of the comments suggest. I was super nervous about the trail because of all the reviews. We hit the trail at 4:44 am although we were shooting for 4 am, and we finished at 5:00pm. We took our sweet time and took tons of breaks probably 15 to 20 minute breaks, every 30 minutes or so and we were not hiking fast. We got to the summit probably around 10:45 or so and spent awhile up too and started back down at about 11:30.First off the ladder part that is the steepest IS NOT straight up!!! In the dark and the coolness I was just enjoying it and seeing all the city lights. I didn’t even feel winded at all. It is steep but in the dark I guess I didn’t notice it. I didn’t feel it was difficult or burning my legs to take another step, kind of steep. The way down it was worse because I could see the ankle rolling rocks that I didn’t even notice on the way up, and it was hotter by then. I do quite a bit of walking so maybe that’s why it wasn’t too bad for me, and it did take us 12 hours round trip. When I was done I could definitely feel certain muscles were sore that I don’t normally use and I didn’t feel like I could turn around and hike this immediately after, but if you’re in descent shape, start early and take your time, it is not as intimidating as some reviews may suggest. My 13 yo daughter came with me and she was sore and walking a little funny the next day from sore muscles, but then again she doesn’t do a whole lot of exercise, and she did the hike just fine. I didn’t take her to the peak however, just near the top. I wanted to check it out first because of how sketchy people said it was. But after I went up I feel it wasn’t so sketchy and that she would have been able to go up the rest of the way, but she was content up near the top, which is totally fine. I would say it is more dangerous than sketchy. Dangerous, because yes if you are not careful and do something dumb, you won’t get a second chance at this hike, but not sketchy to where you’re hanging on for dear life trying to get past some boulder. It is long so you have to have some endurance. I started feeling a hot spot coming on on my way up the ladder so I took off both pairs of socks and put some bandaids over my heel and didn’t get a blister. Reviews kind of had me freaked out as to wether I could make it to the peak because of the risk of death. I was only nervous on the actual peak. Because of the height so I took some picture and then got off the peak. I never felt getting to the peak that my life was in any imminent danger. There are a couple ways to maneuver the boulders so just be smart and don’t be stupid and you should be fine. Thats how I felt anyway. I was more nervous for others I was in charge of as to wether they would be smart about the seriousness of what could happen near the peak, than I was about myself. The other main thing was just keep an eye on the app or gps. On the way up we seemed to go just fine with no wrong turns looking at the app but on the way down we got off the trail a few times (from not checking it often)and had to find it again because it all looks similar, and through the granite fields there is no trail. This was my sixth peak of the seven prominent peaks of the Wasatch Front, but was my favorite so far. Timp seemed harder to me because of the length, but it was my first peak so... Everyone else that had hiked Timp said this was harder for them. Everyone is different I guess . I took about a gallon of water and had 2, 17 oz bottles left over probably from hiking in the cool morning. I wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much starting any later. There is some shade but not a lot. I thoroughly love this hike!! I would recommend anyone who wants a good hike to do it, even if you only went half way and saw the peak and went back , it would be worth it.

Worth the effort!
Lone Peak is a monster of a hike, the first half of it is quite steep and the conditions aren't very appealing.
After completing Jacob's Ladder, the views are amazing all the way until the summit, you'll pass some of the most beautiful landscapes Utah has to offer.

Beautiful, rugged, worth the work. Consistently lost trail way up and down. All trails map works great, just have to pay attention to it while going. Was way off on estimated timing for round trip, up, small amount of time on top, down and lots of getting lost, we clocked 14.8 miles and it took us 9:30. Good luck and enjoy!

Hiked for the first time today. Easily now in my top five. We started at 530 and it was perfect. Maybe a half hour earlier but really it wasn’t too hot on the way down. We lost the cairns a few times but the map kept us on track. Took us about 4 hours to get up and 3 to get down. We spent some time at the summit as well as other places filtering and tasting the glacial melt. So total time was about 8 hours. We were moving fast though so take that with a grain of salt. 10/10 amazing but not for the faint of heart. Probably the hardest hike I’ve done.

I'm torn in how I feel about this trail. It starts out ok with normal, dry, well maintained trail conditions like you typically find in the corner canyon area. then it becomes this long, tired slog and scramble up through loose steep dirt and rock. It's not fun going up, and even worse going down. Please were super helpful here! The second half of the trail was really awesome though. Picturesque approach to the cirque wall, a really fun scramble up and through large rocks and an incredibly fun pull for the summit. In fact I'd say that this summit is one of the best in Utah, and almost without reservation, the best along the Wasatch front! The summit is exposed though, so if you have little tolerance for that please consider carefully. It feels like a mountaineering summit, not a hiking summit which is awesome. All things considered, I'd say that the lower trail makes this route a once a year kind of thing. It can take a long time to do this one too. I could totally see this thing as an all day adventure, but it's doable in about 6 hours at a moderate pace.

Awesome, challenging hike. I agree with most of the reviews on here. We started around 5:45 AM. Parking lot was full so we had to park along the road about 0.1 below the parking lot (go through Orson Park). Its a climb for sure in the first few miles. I had a garmin watch that was loaded with topo map, which came in handy because we lost the trail number of time both on the way up and down. I would recommend having some sort of GPS device. The summit is just boulders on top of each other. It is totally doable and worth it, but not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure the views get much better than the top of Lone Peak! We were able to watch some rock climbers move up one of the circ walls. The hike down was fine, but it got pretty hot. Some mountain bikers tried to go down the last 4 miles of the trail - not smart. They ended up walking their bikes down because it just isn't possible to ride down. I had about 2.5L - 3L and was basically out by the time we arrived to the parking lot. We hiked a moderate pace with several breaks along the way and we finished around 3:30 (so ~8 hours). We clocked the hike closer to 13 miles (not 11). We did not see any snakes or cougars - just a deer and some rock chucks.

Tough hike. Min of 3 liters of water for up and down. Took about 5 plus hrs of actual moving time with several stops to chat and 30 min at top for about 8 hrs total. Third mile is legit. Got lost a couple time as several cairns lead one astray around the saddle. Download map here and refer to GPS so as to not waste time on erroneous routes. Not too technical, but certainly fun and worth the views along the way. The granite is spectacular. Small stream with flowing water still if taking a lifestraw. Would do again.

8/24/19 Hike was great. First two miles pretty easy and the 3rd was a beast. After that it was beautiful views. We heard that there was some crazy rock scrambling but honestly it wasn’t too bad if you don’t mind heights. We never feared for our lives. Coming down following the trail was hard. Tons of people on the trail. Started hiking at 5:45am I wouldn’t start any later than that because the afternoon was super hot.

My husband, two sons, and I completed this hike on Saturday. We ran into many people along the trail who were hiking Lone Peak for the first time and expressed the same frustration we felt--much of the information left on this message board is conflicting. And, some is outright inaccurate. I never leave reviews or post, but in case there are any newbies out there like us looking for some tips/thoughts on this hike, hopefully this will help. For context, my husband and I are in our late 30s, and our boys are 13 and 15. We exercise regularly but don't do a lot of hiking:
1. Getting to the Jacob's Ladder Trailhead--The description above is incorrect. You CANNOT reach the trailhead (which is really called Ghost Falls) by going through the new development. The gate is closed. And, if you were to park there, it would add 30-45 minutes to the hike. The only way to get to the trailhead is through Orson Park and then up the dirt road (make sure your vehicle has good clearance).
2. Start Early--It gets very hot in the afternoon, so the earlier you can start, the better. We hit the trailhead at 5:00 a.m., and if we were to do it again, we'd leave around 3:30. It makes for a much more pleasant experience.
3. Hiking Time--We aren't the fastest hikers, so we were close to 12 hours all in (including eating lunch and spending a little time by the summit). I would anticipate 10-12 hours roundtrip is where most hiking groups will fall unless you are an experienced hiker.
4. Water--Everyone is a little different, but do not take less than 3 liters. I would recommend 4 if you want to stay hydrated, but 3 may do if you are not hiking a lot in the heat and your faster than we were. There are a couple of very small areas higher up the trail where you could filter some water if necessary, but it is stagnant at this point as almost all snow has melted.
5. Staying on Trail--If you download the app and check it somewhat regularly, you'll be fine. You'll find yourself looking for the trail occasionally, but its pretty hard to get completely lost as long as you are heading in the general direction you know you are supposed to go. When you get up higher and it is harder to find a specific trail because you're on rocks, just follow the cairns. They are very well set up and the next one is almost invariably visible from the last.
6. Relative Danger--The vast majority of the hike is not very dangerous. Even though you'll be crawling over boulders and going up some steep shoots, you'll be just fine if you have a good pair of shoes (would not recommend tennis shoes as you really do need the grip of hiking shoes on the rocks). That being said, the last couple hundred yards to the summit is dicey. You need to be very careful and watch your step as there will be a number of locations where slipping and falling would mean an untimely end. Clearly there are hundreds of people who summit each year without incident, and you can definitely do it. But, it's not for the faint of heart. I have a general fear of heights and I simply couldn't go the last couple hundred yards. My husband and two sons did summit--and were glad they did--but they said they'd never go over that last part again. In short, caveat emptor.
7. Trekking Poles--From the trailhead to lone rock is about one mile. From there, you are headed up a steep--and slippery--grade for the next 1.5-2 miles. It is strenuous both uphill and down, the worst part of the hike in our opinion. It would have been nice to have trekking poles, but it can be done without them.
8. Parting Thoughts--This hike is long and difficult, but it is well worth it. If you are in fairly good physical condition--and don't mind some serious soreness and a few blisters--you can make it. The views and the terrain are amazing. The flora and fauna are beautiful, and you won't regret doing it. Although, you might not be signing up to do it again anytime soon. . .

I did this hike a few days ago (on monday). It is incredible. I thought to come back and leave this review to mention the wildlife that I encountered. On my way up, I saw a three foot harmless snake cross the trail. Then I saw something perched up on a rock that I took a picture of and which after zooming in on it I believe to be a cougar! Later on my way down I went straight down off the trail in an area of the trail that is marked only by cairns. I had to either go back up and down the correct way or traverse a ridge with vegetation. I tried to traverse and hopped over a log and four feet in front of me was a huge coiled up rattlesnake giving me a couple warning rattles. I was freaked out at that point and just went back up and got back on trail. I was hurrying down and at one point i took a pretty big stride and looked down and there was a 3 foot snake in between my feet (might have been a gopher snake)! So in summary 3 snakes 1 of which definitely was dangerous and a cougar, so beware.

Don’t follow my recording route! Went up Jacobs ladder, but missed the right turn off in the beginning and went an extra 2 miles but didn’t really realize it until a mile in.
Jacobs ladder trail is easy to follow (though not easy) up until you get to the boulders leading into the cirque area. AllTrails has the trail, but it’s hard to follow your phone while you’re climbing over large rocks, which means you can get off the trail easily.
We didn’t want to go back down the steepness of Jacobs ladder, we knew it was going to kill our knees and that Cherry Canyon and Sawmill are friendlier for the decent. We took Cherry Canyon after we were on the peak, but the trail was very easily lost. 5 ft away and you feel like you’re on the trail, but aren’t and dip into a valley when you should be on top of the ridgeline. We had to make our own way over boulders and through bushes/trees/folliage where there has never been a trail, because we weren’t able to turn around and get back to where we went wrong because of snow. Once we finally connected back with the ACTUAL trail, it was very overgrown and unclear. Lots of checking AllTrails and recalibrating. Lots of bushes tearing up our legs.
We wanted to take Cherry Canyon down to Trail of the Eagle connector over & connect that to Sawmill. What a nightmare!!! Just because AllTrails says there is a trail there, DOESNT mean there is. Basically walking through an overgrown meadow almost impossible to find Trail of the Eagle. It was faster trying to just make your way through the lowest bushes you could find. It took quite some time, but we made it through the connector. We couldn’t find Sawmill. AllTrails said we were on the trail but we were in bushes up to our hips and couldn’t get to any trail.
So knowing we were running out of light, we forged our way back over to the unclear Trail of the Eagle & reconnected to Cherry Canyon. Up around that elevation, Cherry Canyon is clear and well maintained, so we knew at least we would be able to get out that way even though it was going to be longer.

This hike is intense! I've been to Mount Olympus and Bells Canyon, and this is harder by far. I loved the views. Get an early start and bring more water than you think you need.
Do not follow this "directions" Go to Pioneer road and 2000 east. The parking lot is about 30 seconds south of pioneer rd on 2000 east (highland drive) Take the dirt trail on the south side and it's the second stop with a bathroom and eating area. Do not bring a car down this road. Trucks or off road vehicles are better.